The Stone Arch
by Dragonrider2203
Summary: Morgana and Gwen get kidnapped by bandits, one of which has a deadly secret. Arthur and Merlin have to rescue them. Some very subtle Arthur/Merlin. This is my first ever fan fiction so please review and tell me what you think.


Merlin: The Stone Arch

Muted hoof-beats echoed around the silent forest as the group of riders cantered past. Their shadows flickered from tree to tree in the light of the evening sun. One of the riders turned to another:

"It was so good of King Uther to allow us out for a ride on this beautiful evening" Guinevere, Gwen, said to her mistress.

"It didn't come without a price though, despite all my persuading" replied Lady Morgana, looking at the two guards riding ahead of them.

"It could have been worse" answered Gwen, glancing back at the other two guards riding behind them.

"Yes, he could have made Arthur come!" Morgana said, grinning. The two women burst out laughing and spurred their horses on, forcing the guards to rush to catch up with them.

Back at Camelot, Prince Arthur was on the training ground practicing his swordsmanship, and trying to teach his servant the art as well.

"Come on Merlin! Keep the sword-tip up and block my attack!"

CLANG!

Merlin opened his eyes and looked down at his empty hand, then at the sword imbedded in the ground a few feet away.

"I don't need this!" he mumbled, staring at his feet.

"What did you just say?" Arthur asked, grinning at him.

"I said good work Sire! But don't you think that's enough for today, it will be time for the feast soon to celebrate Midsummer" Merlin replied cheekily.

"I suppose so, but we'll be back to it tomorrow so don't think you're getting away with it" Arthur said, turning his back to retrieve the sword. Merlin quietly followed him back into the castle, trying to suppress a laugh.

"It's getting dark; we should be heading back, my lady." A guard bowed his head respectfully to Morgana.

"Of course. We can take a short-cut back through the stone arch, so we can be back in time for the feast." She replied.

"Are you sure, my lady? The King has had reports of bandits near there."

"We will be perfectly safe with you to protect us." Morgana smiled winningly at the man. He bowed again and began moving in the direction she wished. They cantered on for several minutes before the arch came into view. Two large stones, taller than dragons loomed ahead, leaning over so much they almost touched at the top. As the group entered the tunnel, the horses spooked at the darkness and the echoes of their hooves striking stones on the ground. As the riders fought to control their horses, shadowy figures appeared in front of them, and when the group turned to retreat, more appeared to block their exit. Morgana looked around, seeing they were surrounded as even more figures appeared on rock ledges above them, armed with bows and arrows. Two of the guards tried to charge through the men in front of them, only to collapse, pierced by many arrows, as their horses ran through. The other two guards tried to shield the ladies, but they were pulled from their mounts and stabbed several times. Morgana and Gwen dismounted, drawing daggers they had hidden beneath their cloaks. Before they could use them, they heard someone speaking behind them:

"Myaf gyando flugennen huen!" There was a flash of light and the women collapsed.

Merlin stood in the corner of the Great Hall as King Uther entered the room to quiet applause. Uther stood in front of his place at the head table and began to speak. Merlin wasn't paying attention, he was too busy hungrily watching the platters of food on the table, and how he wouldn't be allowed to eat any until after the nobles had finished, being only a servant and a peasant. He gave Gaius, the court physician and his guardian, a look that spoke a million words and Gaius nodded resignedly back: he would save some of the food for Merlin, so he could eat after the feast.

Uther's speech finally came to an end and everybody sat down and began to eat. "Where is Morgana?" he asked Arthur.

"I haven't seen her since early this afternoon, when she rode out with her maid and some of the guards" Arthur replied, turning to look at his father. Uther beckoned one of the guards by the doorway over.

"Go and find Morgana. I want her here, unless she has a very good excuse." The guard bowed to his king and retreated through the door.

Ten minutes later the guard was back.

"There is no sign of her and her maid, no-one saw them or their guards return." He said apologetically. Uther dismissed him and then spoke quietly but urgently to Arthur, who had been listening in.

"Arthur, slip out quietly and take a score of the household guard and search the castle from top to bottom. A search of the forest will have to wait until it is light."

"Yes, father." Arthur stood up and swaggered over to Merlin. "Come on, we need to find Morgana."

There was a knock on the large wooden doors. Arthur strode quickly up to Uther. "It's been several hours since we started searching and there is no sign of Morgana, her maid or the guards sent out with them." Uther bowed his head.

"At first light you must go into the forest and search for her. Take as many of the guard as you need. But first have some sleep, you look about to collapse." He said, looking his son in the eyes. Arthur nodded in reply, and left the room.

"Merlin, make sure my armour is ready and my horse is saddled by first light" Arthur called out as he passed him outside Arthur's chambers. "I'm going to catch a couple of hours sleep". The door closed behind him.

"And when am I going to sleep?" Merlin asked himself, as he carried to weighty armour back to his own small room.

It was still dark when Merlin lead Arthur's bay horse out into the courtyard, but Arthur was waiting for him. "Saddle your horse too, Merlin, we need every pair of eyes we can get. Plus I need someone to carry my shield." Arthur ordered, taking the reins from him. As Merlin started walking across to the stables, there was an almighty clattering as a panicked horse galloped into the yard, charging straight for Merlin. There was no time for him to get out of the way. Arthur looked on in horror; sure he was going to see his friend trampled. He closed his eyes, not wanting to watch, but when he opened them Merlin was standing facing away from Arthur, holding onto the horses reins as it calmly rubbed it's head on his shoulders. Arthur half ran over, calling out.

"Are you alright? You were nearly trampled!" Merlin slowly turned around. Arthur thought he saw a flash of yellow as Merlin looked at him, but when he looked again, Merlin's blue eyes were staring into his. Arthur held his gaze for a moment, then cleared his throat and turned away, his eyes coming to rest on the horse's grisly burden.

"Looks like one of the guards that went with Morgana" Merlin said. They gently lifted the man down and turned him over, only to discover he was still alive, despite being pierced by at least three arrows. "He's trying to say something" Merlin noticed.

"Ambush.....bandits....stone arch!" the man gasped out before letting out one, long, rattling breath and going still. Arthur stared at the body for a moment, then turned and walked quickly back into the castle to bring the news to Uther, leaving Merlin to deal with the body.

"That was close" sighed Merlin, when he was finally alone. He had had to use his magic to stop the horse trampling him, and Arthur nearly caught him. That would have likely caused Merlin's death, according to Uther's ban on magic. He drafted in one of the guards at the gatehouse to help him carry the body to Gaius's rooms, so the physician could investigate further.

"Well, the cause of death is pretty obvious I think" Gaius said, lightly touching one of the arrow shafts protruding from the body. "Did he say anything before he died?"

"Something about an ambush, bandits and a stone arch?" Merlin replied in a questioning voice. "I didn't understand the last bit. What has a stone arch got to do with bandits?"

"I think it's not a stone arch but the stone arch, or _Litharc_ to give it its proper name. It is a set of large rocks a couple of miles into the forest....the perfect place for an ambush" Gaius explained. He was interrupted by a loud rapping on the door.

"Merlin, Prince Arthur wants you now, in the courtyard!" Merlin quickly gathered his things and, saying goodbye to Gaius, ran out of the room.

An hour later Merlin and Arthur were nearing the _Litharc_ at the front of fifty men. Approaching the rocks, they dismounted, keeping a wary eye out. As Arthur went to step into the arch, there was a whizzing noise and an arrow appeared only inches from his foot. Merlin picked it up as they retreated back to the relative safety of the guards.

"There's a note attached" Arthur stated as Merlin carefully removed the scrap of paper rolled tightly around the shaft. "What does it say?"

"Uther. If you want to see your ward, the Lady Morgana, again alive and well, you come alone to the stone arch with 5,000 gold coins before the sun sets tomorrow. The Bandit King." Merlin read aloud.

"I'll deal with this myself" Arthur said, ordering the guards to form up for a charge. "Charge!!"

Merlin was swept along with them. He looked up as the sky was darkened by a blanket of arrows heading straight for them.

The guards turned tail and galloped back the way they had come, encircling Arthur and Merlin to protect them. Hidden by the noise of hooves and shouts, Merlin said an incantation, and his eyes turned yellow as he deflected arrows from Arthur and himself. Several guards fell before they had moved out of range. By the time the group had slowed down, they were nearly back at Camelot. Arthur was in a rage as they dismounted in the courtyard.

"Get out of my sight, all of you! That includes you Merlin!" he shouted as Merlin began to follow him inside.

The doors of Uther's meeting chambers banged open as Arthur pushed them apart. He threw the scrap of paper at his father before starting to rant.

"Those stupid imbeciles, we could have taken all of them if those idiotic cowards had done as I ordered and charged, instead of running away because of a few measly arrows! I..." he yelled before Uther interrupted him.

"Arthur! Be quiet this instance! Now go outside and calm down before I put you in the stocks!" Arthur tramped out the room muttering to himself, while the captain of the guards came in to make his report.

Half an hour later Arthur had calmed down, and was allowed back into Uther's presence.

"Before you start, I think the guards did the right thing and nothing you can say will change that. So stand there and listen." Uther began. "You charged in there with no idea of their numbers. You could so easily have been killed and sent Camelot to its doom. We will wait until tomorrow. We will follow their demands but also set an ambush of our own. I expect you and your men to be ready for action tomorrow. Now go and rest, that's an order!" Arthur said nothing, just turned and left the room.

That afternoon Merlin was woken from a deep, exhausted sleep by a continuous banging on the door to his room. He groaned, turned over then sat up.

"Yes?" he called, pulling on a shirt.

"Get up you lazy lout! We've got some training to do!" shouted Arthur from outside the room.

"Be there in ten minutes" Merlin replied, tugging his trousers on.

"Make it five" Arthur called out as he left.

After several hours of intense training Arthur was looking a bit happier. The men were ashamed that they had run away so were working extra hard, not putting a foot wrong. Even Merlin had made some progress: he could now hold Arthur off for at least ten seconds.

"Ok men. That's it for now. Make sure your armour and weapons are ready for tomorrow. You will be informed of the plan for tomorrow before the evening meal" called out Arthur. "Merlin, help me off with my armour."

"Of course, and I guess you want me to clean it?" Merlin grinned, starting to undo the straps.

"Why not, seeing as you're volunteering" Arthur replied, as he walked off laughing, leaving Merlin with a pile of armour.

That evening there was a meeting of the guard captains with Uther and Arthur to discuss tactics for the next day. Eventually a plan unfolded.

"That's settled then. You and you," Uther pointed to two of the captains, "will take two score of archers and conceal yourselves around the _Litharc_ before first light. Two hours later, Arthur and another two score of cavalry will escort me to the rendezvous, before concealing themselves. When I call the archers will start firing and the cavalry will charge." All the captains nodded agreement. "Very well, go and see to your men." With that, all of them left the room, apart from Arthur.

"What about Morgana? What happens if we fail? We cannot risk it. Send me and a few men, we will rescue her and her maid while the bandits are busy." Arthur paced the length of the room and back to stand in front of his father.

"No, it is too dangerous and you are needed to make sure the plan will not fail!" Uther told his son. "Go and prepare your men." Uther turned and walked through a side door, leaving Arthur on his own.

"Move out!" Arthur shouted above the racket of jangling harness, clanging armour and stamping hooves. He rode ahead with his father, in the vanguard of the column. The few people in the streets stopped and stared as the procession went past. Then they were away from the town and entering the forest.

Uther stood alone in front of the stone arch in the full light of day, watching as a tall man approached, eyes covered by a strip of leather with eye slits cut in.

"I have come as you requested. Where is the Lady Morgana?" Uther called out.

"She is safe and will be returned to you, if the conditions have been fulfilled" a hoarse voice replied.

"Here is your gold. Now bring Morgana to me!" Uther threw down two heavy bags which chinked and tinkled.

"But what would you like me to do with these?" The man threw his arms up, pointing to the two score of archers sent to ambush the bandits, now tied together with stout rope about their necks, guarded by twice their number.

"These I will return to you for free, but tomorrow you must bring me twice the amount of gold for your ward. It will be your last chance, so do not try this again or she WILL die!" Uther stumbled backwards as the man disappeared completely.

"Magic!" Uther growled as he retreated back to where Arthur waited. "I will take the men back to the castle to prepare for tomorrow. Wait here with a dozen men to collect the archers. Do not try anything; just come straight back when you have them." Uther mounted his horse and rode off.

Arthur sat down on a log to wait. Merlin came up and stood to one side of him, waiting for Arthur to organise his thoughts.

"I'm going to rescue them myself." Arthur spoke at last. "You don't have to come." He turned to look at Merlin.

"Of course I'm coming, they are my friends too. And you'll definitely need my help." Merlin said, coming round to sit next to Arthur. "What are we going to do?"

"Here's the plan...."

It was a sorry bunch of men who made their way back into Camelot. The archers had been forced to walk all the way, still tied together, at the pace of the jogging horses. Their faces grew longer as they entered the shadow of the castle, anticipating their punishment. Uther was waiting for them. Ignoring the bound soldiers, he walked up to their captain.

"Where is Prince Arthur?" he said.

"He was right behind us Sire, acting as rearguard?" was the reply, as the guard looked around, avoiding Uther's gaze.

"I think we've given them the slip, although Father's not going to be happy." Arthur spurred his horse onward, Merlin following behind. They had slowly increased the distance between them and the guards until, when they were within sight of the castle, they disappeared into the forest. "We'll go around to the other side of the arch, they won't be expecting that" commented Arthur.

"We have to be careful, their leader is a sorcerer." Merlin warned, catching up to ride alongside Arthur.

"Yes, so we need to make sure we aren't spotted before we reach their camp." Arthur wasn't really paying attention. They had nearly reached the stone arch and he was scanning around for tracks. "Look, there's obviously been a large party moving up this hill."

They left the horses hidden in a small gully, with food and water, and slowly made their way up the hill, staying low and taking advantage of any cover. As they reached the peak, they looked down on an old quarry, which was at first sight empty. As they looked closer they began to make out tents camouflaged by fallen leaves and vegetation, men dressed in greens and browns, and smoke coming from hidden fires. Signalling Merlin to stay where he was, Arthur crawled to the very edge and looked down. It wasn't long before he came back.

"I can see Morgana and Gwen; they are in a small cave below here. Looks like they are unconscious" he whispered to Merlin. They retreated back over the crest of the hill to come up with a plan.

"When it gets dark, I'll make a distraction over to the south. When all the bandits have left, climb down and help the girls. Get them back to the horses any way you can." Arthur said as he outlined his plan. Merlin agreed, and they took shelter in some bushes to wait for nightfall.

Merlin waited at the top of the cliff. He could hear sounds of fighting to the south as Arthur provided the diversion, and he hoped the protective charm he put over Arthur would work, although he knew the prince could look after himself in a fight. He watched the last bandit disappear from camp, and then he began to make his descent. The rock face was slippery and the handholds small. Several times Merlin had to use his magic to stop himself from falling. Finally he reached the cave where the two women were being held. He quickly slashed the rope binding them together and tried to wake them up. He shook them, splashed water on them, even pinched them but nothing would work. "It must be an enchanted sleep" he surmised. He went over to Morgana and placed one hand on her brow. "Gitarra lofem dlaf" he incanted, and watched as Morgana's eyelids began to flutter open. He went and did the same for Gwen. As he turned away, he saw Morgana watching him, but he had no time to worry about that now. Merlin went to check the coast was clear, and spotted Morgana's and Gwen's horses tied to a nearby tree. He sneaked out and brought them back. He helped the women to mount, as they were still weren't properly awake yet, then grabbed the reins and lead the horses out.

"Stop, who goes there?" Merlin was startled by the sight of two bandits, who had been left to guard the camp, running towards them. Drawing his sword, Merlin parried the first blow, ducking under the bandits guard and stabbing him. Turning to the other bandit, he struck out and the blades locked! The man was stronger than Merlin, and was slowly pushing him back against a tree, when a stone came out of nowhere to knock him out. Merlin looked up to see Morgana on the horse in front of him, another stone at the ready.

"Thanks!" Merlin gasped, rubbing his neck where the sword had nicked him.

"No, thank you." Morgana replied. "Now let's get out of here!" Merlin ran in front of the horses, leading them back to the gully. They found Arthur, unharmed and grinning, waiting for them.

"What took you so long?" He said, swinging onto his horse. He took off in the lead, with the women behind him and Merlin bringing up the rear.

Things were going smoothly until they passed a small rock outcrop, not far from the quarry. Merlin was just riding underneath it, when a man jumped down onto him, knocking him off his horse. The others rode on, not realising what had happened; too busy trying to get home to look behind.

Merlin got up, brushing leaves off his shirt and turned to look at the man. His eyes widened as he recognised the leader of the bandits, the sorcerer. Merlin drew his sword as the man got to his feet, trying to look menacing. The man raised one hand and said three words, and Merlin went flying into the rocks. The sorcerer's look of triumph changed to one of surprise, as he was hurled back into a nearby tree.

"So I'm not the only one who can do magic" the man said. "This could be interesting." He conjured up a ball of flame and threw it at Merlin, who deflected it away. Merlin said nothing as his mind raced to figure out what to do next. The man had him with his back up against the rock. The sorcerer charged at him, hand raised to summon something terrible, and Merlin jumped, powered by magic, to the top of the rocks. The man looked up and began to slowly rise up. As he drew level with the young magician, he was hurled backwards into a tree, and stayed there, impaled on a branch. Merlin climbed down from the rocks and went to pick up his sword, not noticing the arm of the sorcerer rise up, the dagger it held glinting in the moonlight.

When the trio of riders finally stopped, they had gone a mile at least.

"Are you two alright?" Arthur asked, wheeling his horse around and looking them up and down.

"We're fine, apart from a bump on the head" Morgana replied.

"Where's Merlin?" burst out of Gwen, as she twisted around to look behind her.

"He's probably got lost; I'll go and find him. You two wait here. We'll be back soon." Arthur called back as he cantered off, concealing the worried look on his face.

He followed their path back through the forest. As he neared the rock outcrop, he saw Merlin's horse. It cantered off as he came near. There was a loud thud from nearby and Arthur raced towards the sound. He arrived on the scene to find Merlin with his back towards him, and the bandit leader's arm coming down to throw.

"MERLIN!"

Merlin turned, smiling, as he heard the Prince's voice, only to see a dagger come flying toward him. Not even seeing Arthur dispatch the bandit, Merlin just stared at the knife. He came out of his shock too late to avoid the blade. .

Arthur ran over as Merlin collapsed on the ground, blood pouring from his arm where the hilt stuck out. Within moments, the young man was unconscious, lack of blood combining with exhaustion. Arthur tore a strip off his cloak and tied it tightly round the wound, hoping it would be enough. He picked up his friend and carried him over to his horse, placing Merlin in front of him as he mounted. Kicking his steed viciously, they took off at a gallop.

Morgana and Gwen had been waiting for only half an hour when they heard the sound of madly beating hooves. Arthur's horse skidded to a halt in front of them. They silently took in the sight of Arthur's scared eyes, the pale face of Merlin and the blood-soaked rag on Merlin's arm. Together they took off, racing as fast as they could towards Camelot.

The horses clattered into the castle. Gwen jumped off her horse and ran to find Gaius. Morgana helped Arthur get Merlin down, then opened doors for them all the way to the physician's chambers. Gaius and a breathless Gwen were waiting for them.

"Put him down on that table." Gaius ordered. He had a look at the wound, and slowly eased the knife out. "You were right to leave the knife in; you could have done more damage by taking it out." He said, smiling at the anxious prince. "It looks worse than it is. It hasn't severed any major blood vessels or broken the bone. Gwen, fetch me some water and put it on to boil." Gaius ordered. "He's going to be fine" he said reassuringly, noticing the prince relax as the physician began to clean the wound.

It took six stitches to close the wound, but no infection took hold. Merlin was awake by that evening and up and about a few days after.

Uther was so glad to have Morgana back that he wasn't angry with Arthur for two whole days.


End file.
